cell phones: Microwave News Article Archive (2004 - )

UPDATE: With no public notice or any formal announcement, the World Health Organization (WHO) held the first meeting of its RF Working Group in Geneva March 14-16, 2023. The latest chapter of the WHO-ICNIRP story is here.

The group is preparing a review of health effects, as part of a process that has been ongoing for close to a decade.

For the latest on this continuing story, “RF Review Shrouded in Secrecy,” is posted here.

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After eight years of work, the WHO is reopening its review of the health effects of RF radiation for a summary report intended to serve as a benchmark for its more than 150 member countries. The report will be used as a guide to respond to widespread concerns over the new world of 5G.

The WHO issued a public call in October for detailed literature reviews on ten types of RF–health impacts from cancer to fertility to electrohypersensitivity. Some see the move as a sign that the health agency is interested in opinions beyond those of its long-time partner, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). They hope that the WHO is finally ready to recognize evidence of low-level effects, in particular the link between cell phones and cancer. Others are far from convinced.

The skeptics see the new reviews as little more than a ruse.

After six years of study, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has decided not to revise its current safety limits for RF radiation. The rules, which were first adopted in 1996 and are the only ones governing cell phone exposures in the U.S., will continue to be based only on thermal effects.

“Evaluation of the NTP and Ramazzini Studies,” BERENIS Newsletter, November 2018.

This expert group on EMF/NIR, which advises the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, states that these two animal cancer studies are “the most comprehensive” to date. Despite their methodological differences, they both showed “relatively consistent results in schwannomas and gliomas, as well as a dose-dependent trend to an increase in the carcinogenicity of these tumors.” Based on these findings, BERENIS favors a precautionary approach for RF/EMF exposures.

“Exposure to Non-Ionizing EMFs Emitted from Mobile Phones Induced DNA Damage in Human Ear Canal Hair Follicle Cells,” Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, posted April 18, 2018.

This study shows “a positive correlation betwen duration of exposure and DNA damage.”

“ELF Exposure from Mobile and Cordless Phones for the Epidemiological Mobi-Kids Study,” Environment International, posted January 24, 2017.

“The results indicate that the current densities induced in the brain during DECT calls are likely to be an order of magnitude lower than those generated during GSM calls but over twice that during UMTS calls.” See also the group’s earlier paper.

The NCRP was the driving force behind the removal of cautionary advice in a CDC fact sheet on cell phone use. Senior officials at the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements pressured the Centers for Disease Control into deleting the cautionary language in August 2014.

The NCRP is an influential policy-setting group, chartered by the U.S. Congress to serve the public health.

“The Effects of Electromagnetic Waves Emitted by the Cell Phones on the Testicular Tissue,” Archives of Italian Urology and Andrology, Vol.86, No.4, pp.274-277, 2014.

The testes of rats exposed to 24hr of cell phone radiation (8hr in talk mode & 16hr in standby mode) for 20 days showed statistically signifcant changes in tissue structure. The authors caution against “unnecessary use of cell phones.” From Turkey. Open access.

“Mobile Usage and Sleep Patterns Among Medical Students,” Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, January 2014.

“Students using mobile for > 2 hours/day may cause sleep deprivation and day sleepiness affecting cognitive and learning abilities of medical students.” Open access.

“Effect of Mobile Telephones on Sperm Quality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Environment International, September 2014.

Open access. From the U.K. “We conclude that pooled results from in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that mobile phone exposure negatively affects sperm quality.” See also a recent related review from China. And this new, more general review from Dublin, Ireland.